Mauricio Suleiman urged not to discredit the sport
WBC President Mauricio Suleiman supported the decision of the judges to award the victory to the undisputed world champion in lightweight Devin Haney in a fight with a Ukrainian Vasily Lomachenko. Suleiman noted that the fight was close on points, so a decision in favor of one of the boxers would inevitably have caused protests from the fans of the other.
“The judges had to decide the winner, and as is often the case in our favorite sport, whenever there was a close fight, the decision was moot. Opinions were divided among fans and the world’s media. Boxing is sure to generate controversy and be criticized by the press and fans whenever there is a big fight and it happens to be close.”
“There is a big difference between what three referees see when scoring fights and what absolutely everyone else sees, whether it’s in the front row, in the last place in the arena or on TV. I am in no way going to justify the failures that have tarnished our sport. There were definitely inexplicable ratings, hard to understand and more. This is due to the incompetence of the judge, inability, inexperience or just a bad night, which happens to all of us. I want to note that boxing is an honorable sport.”
“Devin Haney defeated crowd favorite Lomachenko with great punching, ring control and action. The fight was very close, any result could be accepted: either the victory of the fighter with a difference of one round, or a draw, so there was no robbery, as social networks are screaming everywhere. Let’s be responsible and face the facts, a great event happened and boxing won. Don’t let the negativity bandwagon tarnish our sport.”
Lomachenko lost in a fight against Haney for the title of undisputed world lightweight champion. According to the results of 12 rounds, the judges gave the victory to the American boxer: 116:112, 115:113, 115:113. The sports community spoke about the unfair decision of the panel of judges.
Lomachenko fought his 20th fight in the professional ring and suffered his third defeat in his career. Undefeated Haney won his 30th bout and defended the title of undisputed world lightweight champion.
Source: Sportarena
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
